Unexpected Love
by MELoveStories
Summary: An elf and a dwarf? Such a thing is just not done. But will that stop Tauriel when she finds herself falling in love on the other side of a prison door? (A love story told in 5 chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

August 25, 2941

Tauriel stalked, or it would be more accurate to say she tried to stalk, inside upon return from patrol but it really came off more as a stiff limp. She'd already passed from sight when Legolas freed himself from the group of guards to go after her. He caught up as she was sneaking from the healing room carrying a handful of supplies. "Tauriel."

She ignored him completely, heading towards the dungeons, seeming to forget they were now occupied. As a child she learned quickly that it was a wonderful place to hide. So rarely were there any prisoners in the Woodland Realm that others largely overlooked the space, especially when hunting a stubborn, elusive, redhaired elfling. Once she even locked herself into one of the cells for an entire day before someone thought to look there when she could be found nowhere else and she was rescued. It became a refuge of sorts after that, a place Tauriel and Legolas could go to play games and later to talk and share dreams and fears and be alone together. He missed those days, truth be told.

Tauriel stopped short at the bottom of the first set of stairs, eyeing the prisoners invading their space (though not of their own free will) warily. He lay a hand on her arm. _"You should see a healer."_

She jerked away. _"I can tend to myself!"_

Had he mentioned she was stubborn? Legolas sighed. Tauriel was also very used to being the best and injuries were not part of that. Her skills made her overconfident at times and, like today, landed her in more than a little hurt.

Tauriel sat down on the landing, disregarding the dwarves who looked up to see who their visitors were with no small amount of disdain - except one. Drawing up her leg carefully, she unlaced her tall boot and pulled it slowly off, hissing when doing so rubbed the rather deep slash on her calf. With a huff she set it aside and cautiously rolled up the leg of her breeches, then selected what she needed to cleanse the wound. No noise escaped through her gritted teeth but Legolas' heart squeezed at the pain reflected on her face.

Her hand shook when she threaded the needle and only then did Legolas stop her. _"Let me,"_ he offered quietly, not waiting for her to agree before washing his hands in the cleaning solution and taking the needle.

"_You do not like this any more than I do."_ Her voice quavered, eyes shut tightly against the inevitable discomfort.

"_I can handle it better than watching you sew yourself up,"_ he retorted gently, smoothly making the first stitch.

Tauriel looked away for fifteen neat stitches, her body rigid with the effort of keeping any cries of hurt inside, and when he tied off the string Legolas kissed her forehead. "_I'm sorry_ nesa." [Sister]

She gave him a small smile. _"I'd rather you than Ilmare."_ Which is why they always ended up down here when she came back injured. Legolas wouldn't tattle on her to the king as others might.

He wrapped a clean bandage carefully around her leg and tied it, then squeezed her shoulder gently._ "I'll make you some willowbark tea. Do you want it here or in my room?" _They often sat in his quarters of a night to share hot drinks and let the tension of guard duty seep away in the presence of one they trusted completely. There was no judgement between them, no competition, no jealousy. They were fiercely protective of each other, loyal to a fault, fighting together seamlessly as they had learned to do in their long years side by side. It was a safe place, the position they held in one another's hearts. None meant more to Tauriel and Legolas than each other.

Tauriel hesitated. "_Here, I suppose, where we can still see the starlight_. Hannon le." [Thank you]

All was hushed as Legolas climbed the steps and she leaned back against the stone wall, carefully covering the covered cut with her palm. A quiet voice to the left startled her. "Does it hurt much?"

Tauriel whipped her head around, finding the source to be the tall young darkhaired dwarf who'd had the audacity both to assume she needed his help with the spiders yesterday and then tease her when she locked him up. "I do not know what you are talking about," she said coldly.

He gave her a knowing look. "My brother's had to patch me up for stuff like that a hundred times. Being brave doesn't make the needle hurt less." He quirked an eyebrow. "Is he your brother? I don't know what you were saying to each other, but that's how it looked."

Her severe expression softened at the thought of Legolas. "Aye," she answered quietly, "he is the closest thing to a brother I have." Tauriel's anger faded away to exhaustion and she shifted as her leg started to throb. "Is your brother here?"

The dwarf pointed up a level. "The blond one with all the knives."

She chuckled. "And I thought elves traveled well armed."

He shrugged one shoulder, leaning casually against the bars of his cell. "Fili..likes to live dangerously. Woe to all who catch him off guard."

"How many times have you felt his blade for sneaking up on him unawares?"

The dwarf grinned. "That's not important. What's important is how many times have I gotten cut."

"And the answer?"

He sighed. "Not enough times that Fi still doesn't think it'll teach me a lesson about startling him."

"You are a slow learner then," she put in.

"I'm...trying to teach him to take life less seriously," the dwarf said at last. "I think I need to work harder."

"Tauriel?" Legolas called and she looked up, changing position to face him and accepting the mug he held out to her. "Will you be alright?"

Tauriel arched an eyebrow at him. "I'm always alright."

He crouched down beside her. "I'm assigning you indoor duty for a week." Her mouth fell open and he closed it. "I'll not have you skipping through treetops on that leg until it's fully healed, nor slaying spiders either. If you argue," he continued to forestall the words she clearly wanted to say, "I will take this matter to Ilmare or the king and they will lecture you more sternly than I have."

Tauriel glared sharply at him. "Heca!" _[Scram/Get lost]_

Legolas chuckled and tweaked her braid. "I love you too nesa. Mara lome." _[Goodnight]_

"I hope you step in squirrel droppings tomorrow," she muttered under her breath at his retreating back. His laughter telling her he heard did not help her mood any.

"Willowbark tea," the dwarf observed. "Not much for flavour, but it'll help." He gestured to the mug. "Though only if you drink it."

Tauriel sipped the hot brew and made a face. "Indoor duty." That left far too much time to think and stew on the problems their kingdom faced, which would only get her in trouble later when those thoughts made their way to her tongue.

"Doesn't sound so bad," he offered.

She could feel her eyelids getting heavier. "I must retire Master Dwarf. Indoor duty does not mean I get to lie abed all day."

She took her leave without saying goodbye but Kili was encouraged by the conversation. They'd only been here a day and a half, there was lots of time yet.

**LOTR**

August 26

Tauriel limped down the stairs after breakfast and announced to the Company that tubs and hot water would be brought soon so they could all bathe, a routine that would be repeated every few days for the length of their stay. Being imprisoned did not mean they had to lack the basic necessities. "And if you do not mind sitting around in blankets for a few hours, we will have your clothes washed and mended." She left without even looking at him, though Kili was cheered at the prospect of being clean and perhaps making a more favourable impression. What he really wanted was to get to know her better.

She hid when Legolas finished his duties for the day - when not guarding the forest he was on duty in the halls or attending to his royal responsibilities as heir to his father's kingdom - naturally drawn to the cells for that purpose, and found herself again at the young dwarf's barred door. "What were thirteen dwarves doing wandering through Mirkwood alone? Did you not know it wasn't safe?"

"We lost our guide," he began hesitantly. "He thought we could make it alone but the sickness and enchantment in that air...we left the path."

Tauriel sat down nearby. "You are evading my question."

The dwarf sighed. "If my king will not share with yours, I think I should not either. Though I would rather get this over with."

She seemed startled. "Your king?"

Kili nodded. "Thorin is son of Thrain son of Thror, heir to the kingdom of Erebor, the only one with right to be King Under the Mountain."

That news seemed to be a revelation to the elf. "My king...I have never seen him change his mind."

He chuckled softly. "Then perhaps dwarves and elves are not so different after all."

She gave him an inscrutable look and made as if to leave, but Kili coveted her company and asked quietly, "How is your leg?"

Tauriel scowled. "Fine."

He noticed she was wearing shorter boots today that did not rise high enough to aggravate her injury. "I've heard it said that elves do not lie."

She sighed. "I am unused to limitations and right now there are two - my leg and my prince's command. I do not do well with being confined."

"Another way in which our races are similar," he murmured, catching Tauriel off guard, as she hadn't considered their positions to be alike. He cleared his throat and continued. "Your prince?" His brow furrowed. "Are you royalty also?"

A sad smile touched her lips. "I was something like it, once, but that was long ago. Now I serve my king and kingdom. And though Legolas can be irritatingly haughty and use his authority in infuriating ways at times, he is ever my prince and I am required to be obedient to his commands."

"But off duty he is simply the older brother who loves you and wants what is best for you?"

One eyebrow arched. "That sounds as if you have experience in the matter."

Kili didn't know if sharing Fili's status as heir was wise and shrugged. "Let's just say I can understand the conflicting emotions of the situation."

She looked like she wanted to say more but moved on to continue her rounds instead, albeit more slowly than usual.

**LOTR**

August 27

Kili was laying on his back contemplating the stone ceiling, trying to find constellations in the pits and peaks of the rough stone when Tauriel sat down heavily outside his door, her legs dangling over the ledge as she stared down at the rushing water. She neither moved nor spoke and several minutes passed before Kili's curiosity got the best of him. "Is everything alright my lady?"

She jumped as if she'd forgotten she wasn't alone and glanced back over her shoulder. "Apologies for the disturbance Master Dwarf. I'm used to coming here when I'm troubled. We've not had prisone- that is, the dungeons have not been occupied in centuries."

Kili cast his gaze around the space. "I'm honoured...I think." She didn't respond so he tried again. "What troubles bring you here tonight?"

It took awhile for Tauriel to decide if she was going to answer him. "I've...spoken my mind to the wrong people. No doubt when the king hears I'll be summoned and lectured yet again on what my duties as a Captain of the Guard entail - killing the spiders where they spawn is not part of that." She pounded her fist on the stone. "But I only want to protect my people!"

He pursed his lips. "I would think you should be commended for that passion."

Tauriel sighed. "You would be alone in that Master Dwarf." She fell silent again and Kili was at a loss for how to encourage her, so they sat without speaking, both feeling very alone - separated from those who were their usual companions in distress.

**LOTR**

August 28

By the end of the third full day after having her leg sewn up Tauriel seemed to be moving easier and Kili recalled reading somewhere that elves healed faster than mere mortals. She hurried down the steps from above where he could hear the faint sounds of activity. "Is it a special occasion?" he asked as she went by.

Tauriel halted. "Legolas' guard company has returned early. One of them is injured." Though they often rotated to the forest together something had been reported that needed his attention, so he left early yesterday to lend assistance. She was simply glad the guard who took hurt was not her brother, despite her current irritation with him. Her eyes flickered up to meet the dwarf's. "I am sorry for that guard but eager to avoid Legolas' censure." She sighed. "Indoor duty perhaps was meant to imply paperwork in the study, not inspecting every inch of the halls for security concerns."

Kili nodded in understanding. "You were supposed to be resting."

She wrinkled her nose. "He did not use those words."

"But you knew what he meant."

Tauriel nodded shortly. "There are places to hide in the realm that even the prince is not privy to. If you will excuse me Master Dwarf."

**LOTR**

August 29

He didn't see her again until the following afternoon. "Still evading him are you?"

Tauriel backtracked to answer his question as she was being pursued, but then decided she'd rather Legolas hear her grievances. "I'm punishing him for confining me."

"Which would only work if I'd done it out of spite rather than love," he commented behind them. "I'm told this has become a routine. Why are you befriending our prisoners Tauriel?"

She looked back and forth between them, having not expected to be called out. "Well, they've yet to actually earn my enmity."

Legolas sighed. "The king would not approve."

Tauriel's gaze hardened. "The king cares not if they rot and die in these cells! It cannot hurt to have one elf in this realm who treats them as living beings rather than dirt on the bottom of his shoes."

His brow furrowed at her bitterness. "What has happened nesa? I have not seen this attitude in some time."

Kili was now being ignored in favour of their conversation but he didn't mind. One could learn just as much by listening as by speaking.

She began pacing across the narrow space. "I was called to account for my opinions, again. And then told which ones I should and should not hold as a member of the guard and resident of these halls." Tauriel stopped and spun on her heel. "I am going to get my bow."

Legolas was right at her heels. "Tauriel, I-"

She whirled back to glare at him. "I can practice without your direct supervision, thank you."

Then she was gone and the prince closed his eyes. "So it is to be one of those days."

"Does she do that a lot?" Kili inquired, watching the she-elf disappear from sight.

Legolas turned a cold gaze on the dwarf. "That is none of your concern." He too took his leave and Kili sat back down hard, musing on the unexpected glimpse into Tauriel's true personality.

**LOTR**

August 30

Kili wasn't sure it really surprised him when Legolas turned up long after Tauriel left for bed, which had been over an hour after their conversation of starlight and memory and a fire moon began. He was quite loathe for the bossy blond prince to dampen those happy memories with his cold presence. "What do you want with my sister's attention?" he demanded in a whisper.

The dwarf shrugged. "She's nice. I'm a person to her, not an enemy or a nuisance. I expected elves to all be stiff and proper like you."

"Oh, Tauriel can cause her share of chaos," Legolas replied before thinking better of it.

"That I can see," Kili grinned.

Legolas began pacing agitatedly. "Elves and dwarves don't become friends, nor...anything else! You need to leave her alone."

Kili's heart ached at the thought of losing Tauriel's company. "You could let us go," he suggested, forcing the words out through the lump in his throat. "Then I wouldn't be about to bother her."

"Must you be so glib?" It was next to impossible to gauge this dwarf's sincerity when he mistrusted the entire race.

Kili threw up his hands. "What would you have me do?"

"Tell her you don't like elves," Legolas blurted but Kili shook his head.

"I'll not lie to Tauriel to ease your conscience. Do you really want me to hurt her?"

Legolas glared stonily at him. "I want her safe. And there is nothing safe about mortals."

Kili frowned, not understanding that statement, but the prince stalked off before he could ask for an explanation.

**LOTR**

August 31 - end of first week

Tauriel returned at breakfast, bringing a steaming drink to sip while she sat outside his cell. "Tell me of your journey. What else have you seen aside from Mirkwood?" Her brow furrowed when it came out sounding like an order. "That is, if you do not mind."

Kili swallowed a bite of toast and grinned. "Always happy to share with a captive audience." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Although I guess technically I am the captive one." He mused on the subject for a moment. "We got a ride from Gwaihir's eagles."

Her mouth fell open. "You've seen the great eagles?"

He remembered how close they came to losing their entire company and kin that night. "They have remarkable timing," Kili answered quietly. "Then there was almost getting crushed by stone giants in a thunder battle, or being chased by wargs. What about the time we played water games in Lord Elrond's fountain?" He shrugged. "I don't know where to begin."

Tauriel's eyes grew wider with each event he mentioned. "If only I did not have duties," she lamented. "I would hear of your adventures all day."

He gazed at her through the ornate bars. "I wish you would stay. There is much I long to share with you."

A strange expression crossed her face but a sharp voice called out before she could answer, "Tauriel, you are needed."

Tauriel set the mug aside and flashed him a shy smile, responding to Legolas' order.

Kili watched her go and made a face. "If you think you can get rid of me that easily you pointy eared Elvish princeling, you greatly underestimate the stubbornness of dwarves."

**LOTR**

September 4 - (Aug 31-Sept 4 Tauriel on patrol)

It was late four days following their previous encounter when Kili heard an argument at the top of the stairs - hushed voices sparring back and forth until one rose. "I have done nothing wrong Legolas! He is...my friend. They have not harmed nor threatened us, why must they be prisoners? Is the king's wounded pride worth stealing their lives without cause?"

Legolas seemed to be trying to calm her down but Tauriel refused to be placated. "You have never done such a thing before. I do not understand!"

His tone shifted to a more commanding one and her words came out stiff and formal. "Yes Your Highness." A moment later she spun around and spat at him, "But you cannot command my compassion or my heart. And if I disobey the order I wish you would throw me in the dungeon. The dwarves are better companions than one whom I used to know!"

He could hear fast footsteps, walking then running, and Legolas' half-hearted call after her, "Tauriel, if you would only listen..." But it was too late and the prince muttered to himself as he walked away. "Why I thought something would suddenly change after hundreds of years..."

Kili frowned at the stone walls surrounding him and wondered what in Arda was going on.

**LOTR**

Tauriel came in a different way long before dawn, seemingly surprised to find him awake, though still laying on the ledge that served as his bed. He looked at her solemnly. "I don't think you're supposed to be here."

Wariness crept into her face. "What did you hear?"

Kili sighed. "Enough to figure it out. Why are you defying him? Didn't you tell me your duty was-"

"Because he cannot give me a reason why! Legolas does not like you, King Thranduil even less, but they've yet to present an argument that makes any sense! What makes us superior to you? What great difference is there between dwarves and elves if you do not take into account immortality?"

"That seems a pretty weighty one to me," Kili murmured.

Tauriel ignored him. "That word is wrong anyways. Elves can die in battle, from grief, from despair. Our spirits are tied to Arda, yet none of those who first awoke still walk these shores." She wilted onto the step as her righteous anger drained away. "We both love music, even if it is of a different style. We display loyalty to our kin and passion for our kingdoms. We both love what the Valar has made, even if we prefer starlight and trees to jewels and stone." She sighed. "I do not understand."

He grasped the bars, having moved closer during her speech. "When you put it like that Tauriel, neither do I."

Her eyebrows shot up. "You know my name."

"As I'm sure you know mine."

Tauriel smiled. "Kili." Then something caught her attention and she bit her lip. "I better go. Mara lome."

"Goodnight?" Kili guessed. "What do you say in return?"

"Losto vae," she said softly. "Sleep well."

He tested it out. "Losto vae. Sleep well Tauriel."

Tauriel nodded and was gone and moments later he heard boots on the stairs and hurried to pretend sleep. Something had changed, he just had to figure out what it was.

**LOTR**

September 7 - end of week 2

Tauriel ignored Legolas for two entire days, sneaking in to see Kili late at night, until the prince took back his order, rather desperate to be in the elleth's favour again. Though their relationship was not immediately mended, at least she spoke to him finally, even laughing during meals they shared and the turns they took trying to best each other at target practice. Even with permission granted again to speak with the dwarves, one in particular, she continued her late night visits when all was quiet and it felt as if they were utterly alone in that sacred space.

Kili shared stories from his life and Tauriel of hers, though it became clear quite quickly who had been part of more adventures and daring escapades. Rather than dwell on her isolation in the forest, Kili learned more about her routine, such as being a Captain of the Guard meant she was out patrolling among the trees every second week and then back on duty in Thranduil's halls while another group took their turn. Which made him feel slightly better when she kept disappearing for days on end. At least he knew she wasn't purposefully avoiding him at times.

**LOTR**

September 13 - (Sept 9-13 Tauriel on patrol)

She'd only been back on outdoor duty for the second time when Tauriel again returned with an injury, though this time it was only a red line on her cheek rather than something requiring stitches. She cleaned it carefully, finding the skin more tender than she expected, and Legolas settled with a huff two stairs above where she sat. "You were distracted today."

"I am fine," she insisted.

"Tauriel, usually the orcs cannot even get near you, today one tried to take off your head. Where were your thoughts?"

Tauriel turned to him with hurt filled eyes. "Where do you think? Just because it has been six hundred years since they died does not mean I have forgotten. Sometimes...sometimes it is if I am right back there, watching that filth murder everyone I loved without remorse."

Legolas was undone by her tears and held her close while she cried, laying his cheek on her hair. "Goheno nin nesa. I did not mean to cause you pain." _[Forgive me sister]_

She swallowed and grasped his arm. "You did not cause it."

He closed his eyes. "Neither was I in time to stop it."

Tauriel looked up, pressing her palm to his face. "I have never blamed you. No child could ask for a better brother than the one I was given."

Legolas tightened his grip on her and did his best to offer comfort to his distraught sister, both completely unaware that they were being watched by a conflicted blackhaired dwarf.

**LOTR**

September 14 - end of week 3

Kili was at the door to his cell the next morning long before Tauriel came to do her usual rounds. They tended to have their real conversations later at night when she was off duty but always shared pleasantries when she checked on them each day. He studied her face, feeling worry crowd his chest. "How do you fare today my lady?"

Her brow furrowed as this was not part of their usual exchange. "I am well, thank you Master Dwarf."

He pointed to the cut. "I beg your pardon, but that says otherwise."

Tauriel shook her head dismissively. "It is nothing Kili, please do not fret." She arched an eyebrow at him. "I already have one brother hovering whenever I so much as have a hair out of place. I do not need another."

Kili closed his eyes a moment, taking a deep breath for courage. "Believe me Tauriel, I do not view our interactions in a sibling light. Quite the opposite actually."

Her cheeks coloured and she moved on, but not before glancing back over her shoulder as if pondering exactly what he meant by that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

September 18

Very early one morning Kili woke from a light doze at the sound of soft voices speaking nearby. He shifted on the stone ledge that passed for a bed and squinted bleary eyes, finding Tauriel and Legolas sitting on the stairs apparently oblivious to any of the others, smiling and looking quite peaceful and content as she braided his hair. He frowned and blinked, trying to get a clearer picture. Tauriel bent her head in concentration and a curtain of red tresses fell across her face.

Kili's eyes widened at seeing her hair unbound for the first time. His breath caught in his throat and his heart stuttered. He'd known she was beautiful, but how could he never have noticed before how utterly breathtaking she was? He listened with jealousy as they continued talking in hushed tones, sounding as if they were teasing each other by the quiet laughter that escaped now and then. If he couldn't read in their expressions nothing more than sibling fondness, he might have thought he was looking at two lovers.

Tauriel tied off the last braid. "There, you are presentable now. At first I thought perhaps a bird had tried to nest in your unruly mane!"

Legolas wrinkled his nose at her. "As if your masses of hair have never appeared a disaster when first you wake."

She arched an eyebrow, smirking. "Did you not know ellith wake the picture of perfection?"

He rolled his eyes. "Which is why I often had to pin you down, young one, to comb all the tangles out?"

Tauriel looked up thoughtfully. "I am sure childhood incidents do not count."

Legolas moved to sit behind her, touching her hair gently before he separated a section to begin her signature style. "I remember the first time we came here for this reason, so I could teach you to do my braids. Adar was horrified when you insisted on sporting my style for weeks. That was before you knew ellith and ellyn had slightly different weaves."

She laughed. "I thought myself quite smart wearing your braids and that elfling-sized uniform Meren made me so I could be just like my brother."

He shook his head. "What a bright spot you were in my world then winimo. It had been so long bereft of true light and happiness since Naneth died and then there you were in every part of it, determined to be my shadow and love me as fiercely as any blood sibling." Legolas leaned forward and pressed his cheek briefly to hers. "Thank you nesa, for so often being my joy." _[Little one]_

"And also your greatest challenge?" she suggested.

He sighed. "I love you for it."

Out of the corner of his eye Legolas glimpsed the blackhaired dwarf glaring at him from behind thick bars and he was tempted to put on a show and display more affection for Tauriel than necessary just to get at him. But something held him back and Legolas wondered what on earth he was going to do about this...outsider who was so clearly smitten with his beloved sister.

**LOTR**

He was sitting quietly when she returned on her rounds and in almost the same position when she came for a visit after many of the others had succumbed to sleep. She stopped outside his door. "Kili, is everything alright?" The bars arrested her attention and she blushed. "Aside from the obvious I mean."

Kili sighed and for a moment couldn't look at her, when he did his expression was so sad Tauriel wished she could mend whatever had broken his usually upbeat disposition. She'd become used to his enthusiastic personality and to see the opposite on display now was quite off-putting. "Won't you tell me? Are we not friends?" Although considering how much she looked forward to this precious twilight hour the elleth was no longer certain that word accurately encompassed their interactions.

He stared at her seriously for a moment. "I didn't know elves were beautiful," he confessed to her surprise. "I mean, I knew you were beautiful the first time I laid eyes on you, but before we came here." Kili shrugged. "Dwarf women look much like us, beards and all." That Tauriel hadn't known until she saw the miniature portraits Legolas confiscated from one of Kili's companions. "Then, seeing you this morning..." he shook his head. "Beautiful isn't enough to capture what I saw." He swallowed. "Do you find that observation from a dwarf repulsive?"

Tauriel sank to her knees in front of the bars. "Elves have not beards," she shared softly, "at least, not until their third cycle of life. It is rare to see." A tentative smile touched the corners of her mouth. "I did not know I could find a beard appealing." Her bravery failed and her gaze dropped. "Nor that I would think handsome the dwarf who wore it."

Kili's mouth fell open. "Really?" She nodded, still unable to meet his eyes. He dredged up his courage and reached through the bars, lifting her chin so he could see the vibrant green eyes he'd come to love. "Your skin is so soft," he murmured, one thumb stroking her cheek. "Tauriel."

His whisper settled in her heart and Tauriel closed her eyes, savouring his innocent touch. Time almost held its breath and for a moment it crossed her mind that if there was not a cell door between them, she might have felt his lips upon hers and her eyes snapped open. "Oh Kili, we cannot." She drew reluctantly back, watching his hand fall heavily to his side and swallowed. "What have we done?" Kili couldn't form an answer and she stood blinking back what might be tears. "I am so sorry mellon, I must go."

She whisked herself away from his sight and Kili rested his head tiredly against the bars. That moment had been both more wonderful than he'd dared imagine, and as disappointing as a broken dream.

**LOTR**

September 24 - (Sept 19-23 Tauriel on patrol + end of week 4)

Kili missed Tauriel dreadfully when she was away on her duties out in the forest. He worried for what new injuries she might be acquiring, how she might risk herself in battle with the evil infiltrating her land, what she might be thinking about him when they were apart, and if she might be thinking too much of how elves and dwarves were not friends and certainly nothing more.

He hoped the blond prince wasn't whispering his own concerns in her ear and counted hours until the length of days passed so she might return. But this time he was especially on edge, given their last encounter. He wasn't sure he'd slept that entire night and when morning came with no sign of his favourite guard, he realized he'd lost her to the forest for another patrol and felt so sick about it that he couldn't eat for two days.

He heard a familiar commotion finally not quite a sennight after she departed and was relieved to know her group of guards had returned and there were no rushing footsteps as there had been before when someone came back bearing an injury. Kili waited and waited but Tauriel didn't come and his heart grew heavier as each hour passed. He fell into a despondent sleep sometime after midnight and woke to see the red-haired elleth sitting once more with her legs dangling over the edge of the stone precipice. Joy flashed through him until he noticed the change in her appearance.

Tauriel wore a loose blue dress so unlike her usual uniform he might not have recognized her apart from her hair - now drawn over her shoulder rather than hanging down her back - and held herself in a way he'd come to know when she was trying not to aggravate something causing her pain. Concern overrode the potential for humiliation if she'd been trying to avoid him and the feelings that had been openly on display the night before she left and Kili asked softly, "What is it this time my lady?"

As if she'd been expecting to hear his voice, Tauriel didn't startle and instead barely moved, shifting her head slightly so he could see her profile. "I do not need another I care about telling me that I should have been more careful." In truth her prince had a point. She'd spent the entire patrol time distracted and morose as the moments between she and Kili played out over and over in her mind, but she was not about to tell this special dwarf he was partly to blame for her injury. He had done nothing wrong, only told the truth, though that gave her no peace of mind.

His grip on the bars tightened. "My interest lies more in what happened for Legolas to hand out such an admonishment."

Tauriel sighed and hung her head. "I wear a leather guard for my chest and back as protection, all of us do in some form. This time a sword managed to catch me just above it." She shrugged one shoulder and winced. "It's...nothing really. Hardly more than a scratch. But Legolas..."

Kili finished for her. "He overreacts when you get hurt." She nodded. "As I am tempted to do, except I know such is not your preference."

Tauriel snorted. "He should know too, after all this time. Legolas has known me centuries longer. Perhaps he should learn a lesson from you."

"I doubt he would take kindly to me offering advice." She turned around slowly so it didn't strain her neck to carry on a conversation and Kili smiled. "That dress looks lovely on you."

She wrinkled her nose. "I have a strong dislike for dresses. But my uniform puts too much pressure on my back at present." Tauriel started to cross her arms but stopped, noting what movements jarred her wound. "There must be some compromise. I cannot abide this for the entire time I am within the gates." She shot him a quick glance accompanied by a shy smile. "But thank you for saying it is lovely." Tauriel tilted her head. "I am not sure anyone has called me that before."

"Then all the men here are blind," Kili stated firmly. "Your loveliness is impossible to miss."

An apprehensive gaze claimed her face. "This is almost where we left off last time."

Kili tried to be nonchalant. "I should have told you what I haven't isn't much of a beard, but I accept any and all compliments should you find anything of that nature to say about it."

A brief fantasy played out of her reaching her hand through the bars and feeling his dark facial hair beneath her fingers but Tauriel shook it away. "You are bold Master Dwarf," Tauriel said quietly. "I am not used to that."

She stood, preparing to leave and Kili, who couldn't tell from the neutral comment what she was thinking, bowed slightly. "Losto vae Tauriel."

A brief smile flickered across her face and she nodded her head. "Mara lome Kili." There was nothing more to say. Tauriel had no idea what came after the revelation that her heart had been drawn to someone and his to hers. In six hundred years never had the like been something she experienced and there was no one whom she could ask for advice. An elf and a dwarf? Such things simply weren't done. Her heart, however, was traitor to that fact and Tauriel was at a loss for what on Arda to do now.

**LOTR**

September 24-28 - (Tauriel on duty inside gates + end of week 5)

So convinced was Legolas that Kili had something to do with Tauriel's uncommon state of mind and the unprecedented frequency of injuries - not since she was an elfling and a young elleth first in training had he been required to patch her up so often - he kept her occupied to such a degree she was not able to find time to spend in the cells. Either he had tasks for her to complete that would not tax her healing wound, or he distracted her when she was about to leave for the dungeon with any manner of other activities. An invitation to join their fellow guards for a drink or a bite to eat, convincing her to enjoy with him a time of reminiscing on their favourite stories and memories since she became like family, or cajoling her to come out with him and listen to the stars.

The entirety of her time inside the gates passed before Tauriel realized she'd only seen Kili the night she came back and though part of her longed for the easy relationship they'd shared before his deep care for her became obvious, the other part thought perhaps some time apart was the best thing. They could clear their minds and think objectively about what had passed between them. Surely they would both come to the conclusion that, despite what they felt, anything more was simply impossible. But try as she might to convince her mind, Tauriel's heart would have none of her logic and it ached to once again be reunited with the one by whom it had been captivated.

**LOTR**

October 2 - (Sept 28-Oct 2 Tauriel on patrol)

She had planned to wait until the following evening to go see Kili and begin re-establishing their connection on the basis of friends only. However, one of the first things she overheard upon walking into the halls (intact for once rather than needing supplies from the healing room) was one of the guards commenting how the young black-haired dwarf hadn't been eating well. "He only picks at the plate, at times I'm uncertain if he's eaten anything at all."

The other guard sighed. "I hope he isn't ill. The last thing we need is a dungeon full of sick dwarves."

The first guard agreed and Tauriel's course immediately changed. She snuck down to the cells through a more hidden passage - the one she used when defying Legolas' orders to stay away from Kili - and crept quietly to his cell. He sat on the floor rather than what doubled as his bed, head hanging low, staring at the runestone in his hand. Tauriel swallowed and said softly, "I've missed you."

Kili didn't even look up. "But not enough to come and see me." He sighed. "I can take a hint Tauriel. I won't bother you anymore."

Her heart ached at the conclusion he'd come to. "You've misunderstood my absence. I began coming several times before we went back out into the forest, but Legolas always caught me with a different plan in mind." She tugged absently on a lock of hair. "I did not see it then, but I believe he was deliberately keeping me away."

"Still, if you'd really wanted to you would have found a way to come back." He leaned his head back. "Go away Tauriel. It's too painful to have you near."

His words cut like a blade and she closed her eyes briefly. "You have been on my heart all the time I was out and away from these halls. I know...I know I should listen to you, we should pretend these feelings do not exist because this longing is forbidden. Even if it is not written anywhere, it is forbidden by the laws and customs and history of both our peoples. But Kili," Tauriel whispered, desperate for him to look at her once more, "I cannot tell my heart this is wrong and make myself believe it. You are something special, something so special. No one in my life has ever captured my attention and affection the way you have. Please, give me the chance to show you I do not take this lightly and I will do my best not to hurt you again."

Finally Kili lifted his eyes to hers, a cautious hope glowing in their dark depths. "Do you mean that?"

Tauriel nodded. "I've no idea what to do now. But I know I can no longer ignore what you have inspired me to feel."

His trademark smirk was back and she rejoiced to see the twinkle in his gaze again. "Well, I do have that effect on the ladies."

She rolled her eyes. "No doubt you've left a trail of broken hearts behind you on this journey, as you seem to think they fall at your feet."

Kili's tone was completely serious. "Yours is the only heart I care about Tauriel. Please do not abandon mine again." He let her see some of his hurt. "It is not as invincible as it may appear."

Tauriel lay her hand over his on the bars. "You have my word."

Silence fell between them as they processed what this could mean, then Tauriel broke the spell by asking for another story and Kili played along, letting the solemnity of the moment pass. He hoped he could trust her. He wouldn't let anyone know, but before she reappeared he'd been very close to despair and the alluring darkness pulling at him to surrender sent a shiver of fear through his soul. He did not want to get near it again.

**LOTR**

October 3-7 - end of week 6 (Oct 7-11 Tauriel on patrol)

Kili and Tauriel fell back into their comfortable routine of daily visits and shared stories and conversations, staying conspicuously away from anything too profound or personal, even if they were now aware those feelings existed and ran deep. She would come in the morning with a hot drink when she was on duty in Thranduil's halls and keep him company during breakfast until Legolas called her to be at her post. Kili usually saw her again at some point during the day when she was making her rounds, though there was time for little more than a smile and hello that time. Then she would return late at night, often now with a special treat saved from her dinner, so they could speak under the cover of darkness when it felt that even the stone walls themselves would keep their secrets.

He was loathe to see her leave to go back out into the forest and jokingly made her promise not to get hurt this time.

Tauriel's gaze narrowed. "If you are in league with my brother I will see you both pay."

Kili snorted a laugh. "What more can you do to me Tauriel? I am already in prison."

One eyebrow arched. "Do you think that is the only punishment an elf can dream up?"

The truth in her eyes gave him a pause. "On second thought, I think I'd rather not find out what other devious things your elven mind can conjure."

"You have taught me never to underestimate dwarves," Tauriel said with a smile. "I would have you learn the same thing about elves."

He bowed in deference. "I am at your service my lady."

She nodded. "As it should be." Her smile faded and she hesitated a moment. "Do take care of yourself Kili, until I return."

Then she was gone before he could find a suitable response that would amuse her rather than raise her ire.

**LOTR**

October 12 - end of week 7

Tauriel was too tired that first night back to go and see her dwarf and busy all the next day with the numerous duties assigned to the captains of the guard that their underlings did not have to deal with. She was quite ready for rest when she came wearily down the steps for the few minutes that had long ago become the best part of her day. "How do you fare today Master Dwarf?"

Kili looked up wearing a grin. "I was about to send someone to see if you were hiding from the healers my lady." He took in her obvious fatigue and his expression sobered. "Was it a hard patrol Tauriel?"

She rubbed her forehead. "The spiders...the orcs...all evil dwelling in Mirkwood is becoming too bold for my peace of mind. We slay them and slay them but there are always more that appear to wear down our defenses." Tauriel sighed. "Someday they may do so and we will no longer have the forces or strength to stop them." Anger propelled her to her feet and she paced back and forth in front of his cell.

"How can the king allow this? I know he cares for his people, he would not be so adamant about cleansing the forest inside our borders if he did not care. But I do not understand! If only he would let us attack the spiders at their source we could stop those foul creatures from ever entering our home in the first place!" She wilted back onto the steps. "But he does not care for my opinion and I...fear the consequences of defying him."

"If anyone had the courage to go against his orders it would be you Tauriel," Kili said earnestly. "But I've no desire to see you down here with us, locked up for doing what you believe is right. If the king would leave trespassers in his dungeons for a hundred years, what sentence might he pass on a disobedient guard?"

Tauriel shrugged listlessly. "Perhaps some day I will not care and I will defy his orders. I am glad you are here Kili. There are things I tell you that I can tell no other."

"Even Legolas?"

Her lips curved. "I love my brother, but he has never questioned an order in all his years. He simply does not know what to do with me in this frame of mind."

"Then I am all ears," Kili offered, leaning closer. "I am honoured to be in your confidence, especially when that stuck up prince is not."

She gave him a look that said he should treat Legolas with more respect and then settled back against the wall. "Tell me again of Rivendell. When you were not causing mischief with your brother did you take time to simply enjoy the peace? I have heard stories of how bright and lovely it is, but there are never enough."

Tauriel had asked for descriptions of Rivendell a few times before and Kili wished desperately that he'd spent more time wandering the halls rather than complaining about the food and joining the others in their raucous activities. He began carefully drawing her a picture with words once more, adding details as he thought of them, and even imagining things they would do should they ever be in the Hidden Valley together.

It was the most personal they'd gotten in many days but she did not ask him to stop and Kili could not get enough of her eyes shining as she pictured his dream. If he had known it was one of the last significant conversations they were to have, he would have changed only one thing and told Tauriel that he'd fallen in love with her, then asked if there was any chance she could love him back. To have her answer to carry with him on the rest of their journey was the greatest gift he could think of.

**LOTR**

October 13-15 (Oct 15-19 - Tauriel on patrol + end of week 8)

Their time together was scarce over the next few days and then she was gone again, but this time Tauriel stopped by briefly before she went with her group to say a fond goodbye, which left Kili smiling for most of the day. He was at loose ends while she was off killing spiders and jumping through treetops (really, there was only so many times he could pace the small cell before it made him dizzy, and the attempts he was making to draw on the rough rock walls were hindered by the lack of any real tools for doing so. Even a pocketknife would have been a welcome respite, if there was wood available at least he could whittle. Perhaps part of Thranduil's punishment included driving them mad by boredom and brooding alone).

_October 20 - morning_

But his joy renewed the moment he saw her lovely face appear in front of his door early her first morning back.

Tauriel held out her arms and turned slowly around. "All in one piece."

He grinned. "Your care and diligence is much appreciated my lady."

"How do you fare Master Dwarf?" Before Kili could answer she frowned at the bars keeping them apart and murmured, "That question has become ridiculous. I fail to see why it is necessary to keep you all locked up. If only your Thorin and my king could come to some kind of agreement."

Kili grimaced. "I'm afraid that mold has been cast my lady. Thorin said something rather uncomplimentary to King Thranduil when last they spoke and I've no doubt he understood every word, or at the very least took his meaning. There will be no softening on either of their parts even though our time is running low."

Tauriel sighed. "I am sorry Kili. It is a strange thing, being your friend yet also your jailer. How can you not resent me?"

He pressed his face to the bars in earnest. "Because you are not to blame. Following orders does not make you my enemy Tauriel. Compassion has made you my friend." His voice lowered. "And fate or fortune has seen us become even more than I dared hope for in the beginning. No Tauriel, I will ever hold you in the highest regard and never anything less."

"Kili," she whispered and seemed on the verge of saying something more when she was summoned from above. Her eyes fell closed and he also felt the disappointment keenly. Tauriel found a small smile for him. "Until tonight my patient dwarf?"

Kili nodded. "Until tonight, beautiful elf." He watched her walk away and could not help an answering grin when she glanced back once over her shoulder before she was out of sight. Every day of his life could start that way and he would count himself most blessed. However, they really needed to do something about those bars.

**LOTR**

October 20 - afternoon

But there would not be another tonight that found them together, for Bilbo appeared before Tauriel returned and though Kili savoured the taste of freedom and the jubilant reunion with his brother, his heart remained in the small cell awaiting another conversation with his lady love. Regret at missing those precious moments was the only thing that could temper his joy at once more continuing the quest for the homeland he'd only ever imagined.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

October 20 - evening

Tauriel was silent as she kept pace with Legolas. It was slow going, needing to round the entire lake to reach the town. They had no boat as the dwarves had obviously somehow found and she chafed at the time they were losing. Legolas' company was a comfort but did nothing to ease the ache in her heart. Had Kili known they were going to escape and withheld it from her? And if so, was that not within his rights? Was everything he said this morning true or was it meant to distract her from her duties? Had she somehow been negligent in the security of their halls and the forest for thirteen dwarves and a pack of orcs to so easily take them by surprise?

"If you think any louder, the orcs will be able to hear you," Legolas murmured.

She swallowed and looked over. "Was this my fault Legolas?"

"You are but one in twelve companies of guards. Think you the entire defense of the realm relies on one elf in nearly a thousand, a Captain of the Guard though she may be?"

"I was on duty in the forest these past five days and I did not see them coming. I was patrolling the halls this very afternoon and had no idea our prisoners were escaping under my nose. How can I not be called to account?"

Legolas stopped and took her by the shoulders. "Tauriel, you are faithful and loyal and diligent. This..." he waved his hand, searching for the proper term "...sightseeing tour we are on is the first I've seen you break from orders in all the centuries you have been a guard."

He flashed her a half-smile. "And since you are in the company of your prince, who has sanctioned this mission, you are technically not even in defiance of the Woodland Realm. Do not take on yourself responsibility that should be shared with all. None of us saw this coming. I did not think escape from those cells possible." He nudged her as they kept walking. "You certainly did not manage it when you were locked in, accidental or otherwise."

"Not for lack of trying," she said wryly, the moment of levity gone when she thought once more of Kili.

He'd been shot in the leg with an arrow, by the will of the Valar she arrived in time to save his life more than once as he lay beneath the lever that opened the gates. His painful cry upon falling back into a barrel so distracted her that she came close to losing her head. But she survived, that was no matter. How was he? Was one in their group a healer that he might be seen to? Or was he now traveling to the Lonely Mountain injured and unable to get aid?

Tauriel closed her eyes briefly. _Kili, please keep ahead of those who want your life. I cannot lose you. And I never told you what you truly mean to me. Oh...I so desperately want to have that chance!_

Legolas grasped her hand. "He'll be alright. Arrow wounds are painful but one like that in his leg will not threaten his life."

"A normal arrow wound maybe," she argued. "You heard what the orc said." The remembrance of the foul creature's words sent cold shivers down her spine.

He paused. "Kili is strong. I'm certain he will make it."

"Not if that filth catches up to him before we do," Tauriel said grimly.

Legolas quickened their pace. "Then we will have to make sure they do not."

Tauriel glanced at her companion. "How feel you about a race?"

Anything to take her mind off the dwarf. "I will beat you this time."

She skipped ahead and looked back. "I would like to see you try." And they set off, determined to overtake the orc scum who invaded their home and tried to kill a people, one in particular, she had come to care about. That was their first mistake. Valar willing it would also be their last.

**LOTR**

October 22

On the second day Legolas ventured the question he'd been wondering about from the moment they defied his father's order and set out to track the orcs alone. "Tauriel, I know you've grown fond of that dwarf but...how deep do your feelings run?"

She lay a hand on his arm. "If Kili was an elf, we would even now be wearing silver rings."

He gaped at her. "Nesa, are you certain?"

Tauriel clutched her bow tighter. "I am certain that my heart is drawn to him. If this is not love mellon, real love can hardly feel much stronger." _[Friend]_

Legolas took some time to absorb her statement. "I would be happy for you if he was Eldar. Tauriel, an elf and a dwarf? I've never heard of such a union."

"That does not make it wrong," she said stubbornly. "Are we not both created and loved by our Makers? How then can what we feel for each other be anything but fated by the Valar? And if we have their blessing, might we not also have that of our people?"

"It will take some time for this news to become real," Legolas murmured, trying to grasp that his sister had fallen in love with a dwarf. But if she'd chosen him and he her, what would happen to her if something happened to him?

After awhile another thought came to him and Legolas sighed. "Tauriel, dwarves are mortal. Long lived yes, but nothing compared to the lifespan of an elf. You have only six hundred twenty four years, an age may yet stretch out before you. If you tie yourself to him..." There was no gentle way to word the truth. "Kili is young yet his days are already counting down. When...when he is no longer part of this world, what then becomes of you?"

In all her musings she'd failed to note that Kili would die long before even a fraction of her life had passed. Her heart stumbled and she did her best to keep the sudden tears at bay. "I will either fade," she said slowly after several minutes had passed, "or he will have given me a reason to continue on." She'd never thought of herself in terms of being a mother, she was a guard and that alone was enough. But if she took Kili to husband and by some miracle they were granted a child...that would be reason enough to stay, for awhile at least.

Legolas' thoughts continued on. Should it be possible for a babe of dwarf and elf blood to be born, and even if that child had a longer life than his father, Tauriel would very likely see generations of her family come and go before her turn came to pass from these shores. Could she really bear to watch the slow decline and death of her husband, her child, her grandchildren, her great grandchildren and on and on until the end of the world? The consequences for her choice were high, but he would lose her so much sooner if she only married Kili and did not bear his child. He had never faced such a quandary. What was the right advice to give?

Instead of voicing his concerns, Legolas forced levity into his tone. "For your sake I hope that dwarf has a store of patience. You have been known to need it more often than anyone I've ever met."

"Much less one who grew up alongside you," Tauriel smirked, appreciating the effort he was making more than she could say. "I seem to recall hearing that as an elfling you had a streak of mischief none could contend with."

"All lies," he argued mildly. "You should know better than to believe everything you hear."

"And if I have seen if with my own eyes?"

Legolas pursed his lips. "Then as your prince I am ordering to forget anything incriminating that you've seen. We can't have those tales getting around you know."

Tauriel turned grateful eyes on him. "I love you Legolas."

He looped an arm around her shoulders. "You are my very heart nesa. I care for no one else as deeply, nor is there anyone I hold in such high regard. Whatever your choices, I will be proud of you and you will have my full support." He stopped and took her hands. "I only wish I could spare you the sorrow to come."

"I have heard it said love is always worth the sorrow it brings," she said softly. "I believe I am about to learn whether or not that is true."

They shared the peaceful moment a little longer before continuing on their way. In their mission there was no room for even the smallest delay.

**LOTR**

October 23 - late evening

Kili felt like crying as he asked the dream-Tauriel what he wished he'd asked the real one. "Do you think she could have loved me?" Desperately he reached out and relief flooded him when her fingers slid between his and held on tight. Perhaps he already had his answer.

"Oh my dwarf," Tauriel whispered, "do you not already know?" By the time she gained the courage to look up Kili had already fallen asleep and she sighed.

The blond dwarf Kili identified as his brother early in their acquaintance came up beside her. "Thank you for saving my brother. But if you did not mean what you just said you better leave now before he wakes. I won't watch you break his heart."

"Master Dwarf," Tauriel said gently, "I have never meant anything more in my life. My heart is in his keeping even if he knows it not. Elves cannot take back their choice."

"Neither can dwarves," he said solemnly. "What do you know? Finally we have something in common." Fili cast a concerned glance at Kili. "Is he going to be alright?"

She nodded. "Athelas is a very powerful medicine. I am not trained as a healer, but I have seen it work many times. The poison is no longer present in him, though fever and infection are always a risk. I would like to see him rest a few days before continuing your journey."

"Whatever you think he needs," Fili answered immediately. "When we go, we will all go together."

"I'll sit with him for awhile," Tauriel volunteered, "if you have no objection."

Fili grinned. "I've kept him out of trouble for seventy-seven years. I suppose I can trust an elf to do the same for a few hours."

"He is so young!" she exclaimed, never having thought to ask him before.

The blond dwarf frowned. "Not so very. Dwarves are of age by fifty."

"Oh." Tauriel tried to reconcile the difference. "For elves it is one hundred, after which we rather stop counting."

"I suppose it would get tiresome after awhile," Fili agreed, then drifted away to talk to Oin.

She sifted her fingers slowly through his damp and matted hair, loosening tangles when she came upon them. "Nagon-nin." _[My dwarf]_

Kili slept for hours, oblivious of her presence, and Tauriel eventually had to do the same. Four days without rest were taking their toll. She came awake with a start some time later and opened her eyes to see him staring at her in confusion. "Tauriel?"

She did what she'd wanted to so long ago and let the tips of her fingers drift over his scruffy cheek. "I'm here Kili."

He grabbed her hand, holding it against his skin. "Are you real?"

Her brow furrowed. "Why would I not be?"

"I dreamed of you," he explained. "Surrounded by the white light you spoke of in the dungeons. You...saved me from the darkness that was threatening to overcome my resistence. And then there was only peace and no pain." Kili's expression grew pinched. "I have never felt such pain before, and fear..." He looked up. "Were you truly here?"

"You were healed with Elvish medicine I administered. I cannot vouch for what you saw, but I am glad you are no longer in pain. You need to rest."

Kili frowned at her. "I am seeing you for the first time without bars between us and you want me to rest? I don't want to miss this."

"I am going nowhere."

Her conscience was pricked by the thought of Legolas, but she knew he understood why she stayed. Before he left he passed a thought to her, _Do what you need to_, so she knew he was not wroth with her for staying to heal Kili.

His eyes were already getting heavy but he struggled them open. "I asked the Tauriel in my dream a question. Did I...ask you too?" She nodded and he held his breath. "What did she say?"

Tauriel stood and bent to drop a light kiss on his lips. "She wanted to tell you that she already does."

A goofy grin took over his face and he beckoned her back. "That is teasing my lady. Shall we have another go at it?" Kili cupped her cheek and claimed her mouth, confident in her response and thrilled by the depth of feeling behind it. He sighed when she moved away. "Now I can die happy."

She poked him sharply in the ribs. "Do not dare! After all the work I have put into saving you it would be terribly rude for you to undo it now."

He chuckled. "How selfish of me. I will, of course, save dying of happiness at least until you say you'll marry me." Tauriel froze and Kili wondered if he'd just heard himself propose. "I..." he began but couldn't find the words to finish. At last he cleared his throat. "Well, will you?"

"Oh Kili," she whispered. "My heart is yours, but let us save that conversation until you are well. To make important decisions when you have been given a second chance at life can be rash." Tauriel kissed him briefly. "Ask me again later."

"As many times as it takes," he promised. Kili fell asleep with her words in his ears and Tauriel made her way outside for a little fresh air. If only she truly knew what she was doing.

**LOTR**

October 27

"You'll be ready to travel soon," Tauriel murmured from within the warm shelter of Kili's arms where she'd been resting for some time now, "maybe even tomorrow."

Fili, bless him, had managed to get everyone out of the house on the guise of distracting the children from their father's imprisonment and had promised Kili and Tauriel two hours of time completely alone. When she said yes to his proposal three days after the first time he asked, Tauriel knew she couldn't bear to wait their union for after the situation calmed down. She explained the Elven way of wedding to him and Kili had explained it in even less detail to Fili who thought they were both out of their heads but agreed to help anyway. She owed her new brother in law a very large thank you when next they met.

Kili kissed the top of her head. "And I won't have to miss you this time, because you'll be right beside me." Her sudden tension was obvious and his brow furrowed. "You didn't think I would marry you and immediately leave you behind, did you?"

Tauriel sat up half-way and traced the familiar shape of his face, burnt into her memory from long weeks spent on opposite sides of an iron barred door. He hadn't even gotten to see her properly undressed yet because she was cautious of the imminent return of the home's other inhabitants. "I wanted to be your wife Kili, that has not changed. But is it wise to take an elf to Erebor? Thorin likes elves as much as King Thranduil likes dwarves."

"But you're a Durin now," he protested. "Thorin will have to respect that."

She smiled slightly. "I love your optimism nagon-nin, but I am afraid you may be overconfident."

"We're about to find out," Kili said with finality. "Because I won't go without you. And Fili won't go without me. So the choice is left to you my lady."

Tauriel wanted to be cross with him but couldn't dredge it up. "It seems I have underestimated the stubbornness of dwarves despite the lessons."

He grinned. "So you will come?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Kili thought about it, kissing her slowly. "You have a husband who will follow you anywhere," he whispered against her skin at last, fingers rubbing gently over her necklace. "The where is up to you."

She shook her head. "I will not keep you from your home when it is so close. But I am wary of my reception in the Mountain."

"Fili and I will protect you."

Tauriel snorted. "I can protect myself. But your kin is my kin now. I would rather not do them violence."

"If any of them say anything against you they deserve it," Kili retorted.

She pressed his lips to his for the hundredth kiss they'd shared since their union. "I cannot believe we are married. Only days ago Legolas and I were discussing someday and now..." She trailed off. "Legolas."

Kili winced. "Protective older brother...where can you hide me?"

"No place he will not look," Tauriel said dryly.

"Perhaps we could tell him later?"

She shook her head. "He will know as soon as he looks into my eyes. Our spirits are joined at the same moment as our bodies. Elves can tell with one look that another is married - the light of the Eldar burns ever brighter when fed by two fea instead of only one."

"I'm doomed!" Kili lamented.

Tauriel began replacing the pieces of clothing she'd allowed him to remove, checking his leg once last time. She'd been uncertain if he should engage in...strenuous activity so soon after being injured, but Kili insisted he felt fine and neither wanted to wait. "How do you feel?"

"Like I could take on an entire pack of wargs all by myself," Kili declared. "Stop fretting Tauriel."

"I am your wife," she countered (how he loved that word 'wife'), "fretting is part of my job."

He also got out of bed and re-dressed, looking quite forward to a little more privacy than a borrowed house and borrowed time. Although if the Mountain had been lived in by none but a dragon for close to two hundred years, perhaps the living quarters were not in the right state to welcome a new bride. Right then he decided to make restoring a chamber for them his first priority once they reclaimed Erebor.

They were sitting at the table enjoying a hot drink when the others returned and Fili alone gave them a questioning glance they both ignored. Kili and Tauriel knew this could not happen again so long as they were under Bard's roof, but Kili rather hoped he could convince her to at least cuddle with him tonight once everyone else was asleep. Being injured gave him the privilege of using a bed while the others settled for pallets on the floor. Kili wondered if that would be considered taking advantage of their hospitality and decided to ask for Fili's opinion. If he had to spend the night outside in order to spend it with his wife, he was perfectly willing to do so, as long as they threw in a blanket or two for the cold.

**LOTR**

Fili caught his brother alone later while everyone else was engaged in conversation and Tauriel telling the children a story. "Well?"

Kili beamed. "I married her. And I have to say Fi, I think elves have the right idea. This was infinitely easier than a Dwarven ceremony."

Fili rolled his eyes but declined to comment. "So now what happens?"

Kili shrugged. "We borrow a boat and make for Erebor. Tauriel thinks I should be able to travel tomorrow."

"How's your leg?"

Kili glanced surreptitiously across the room at Tauriel. "If my wife asks, I'm fine. For you...it's a little sore."

Fili raised an eyebrow. "Should you really be starting a marriage off in deception?"

"It was fine the last time she asked," he bristled. "Now it's just...less fine."

"A day, two at the most then," Fili reasoned. "You'll be sitting while we cross the lake anyways. And the three of us can help you if you need it."

"The four of you," Kili put in.

Fili frowned and counted again, wondering if something got rattled in his brother's brain with the illness. "Me, Bofur, and Oin - three."

"And Tauriel."

Fili closed his eyes. How did he miss that? "Don't tell me you truly mean to take an elf to Erebor?!" he demanded. "Thorin will tear out his beard!"

"Then he will have to grow it back in," Kili said determinedly. "I refuse to leave her behind. And if you don't want her to go, I won't either."

"Kili," Fili pleaded, "must you make this so difficult?"

"She's my wife," Kili said simply. "I cannot be parted from her."

"I knew this was a mistake," his brother muttered. But Fili also hadn't seen his brother so happy in months. Whatever commotion it caused, that was worth the trouble. Even if it made Fili's life miserable for awhile trying to smooth things over with Thorin. "Oh fine," he relented, "the elf may come. But I take no responsibility for our uncle's actions nor his words Kili. You and Tauriel better grow a thick skin between here and the Mountain."

"Understood." Kili rested his forehead on Fili's. "Thank you for giving us that time today Fili. Those hours were precious beyond measure to Tauriel and me, I can never tell you how much." He sighed. "She makes me feel alive, and it is better than anything I've ever known."

"Just leave me out of the details and I'll be happy for you," Fili promised. He shoved Kili towards the table. "Go sit with your wife. The tale she's telling sounds like it needs a little embellishment."

Kili grinned and headed that way while Fili stood back and watched the joy exude from them when he settled at Tauriel's side and took her hand in his. He'd explained briefly to the others that Kili and Tauriel were planning to wed in Elvish fashion while they were alone and did not elaborate despite their shock. They'd figure it out sooner or later. Right now all they knew was that they'd added an elf to the quest and Kili was the picture of health and happiness. For now that was more than enough. Tomorrow's problems could worry about themselves, tonight he was going to enjoy a few rare moments of peace.

**LOTR**

October 29&30

They'd passed the day preparing to leave, gathering what supplies and weapons were available, but the rumbling of the Mountain - or more specifically a dragon in the Mountain - gave them a bit of a pause and all waited fearfully to find out what it meant. Then all havoc broke loose with Smaug's sudden fiery attack on Lake-town and they spent a few tense hours just trying to survive. It was after midnight when the dragon fell and near dawn as boats finally drifted to shore. The dwarves and Tauriel saw Sigrid and Tilda tearfully reunited with Bard and Bain before lending helping hands wherever they could.

Kili and Tauriel went off by themselves at night and returned to sleep among the blanket rolled group a few hours before the sun rose. Fili wasn't going to ask, but their smiles in effect told the story for how they spent that absence and he was glad even in the midst of terror and destruction and worry for their kin in the Mountain that the couple was able to steal a brief time of pleasure together. He still had no idea how he was going to explain the elf to Thorin, but for now Kili's happiness continued to be worth whatever price they both had to pay when faced with their uncle's wrath. Then again, if Tauriel still had her bow and knives, Thorin might be the one backing down from the imposing picture she made when defending those she loved.


End file.
